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A pastor friend of mine who highly recommended the value of the book gave me this book. Once I started reading it I simply could not put It down again – it captivated me right from the start. There is thus little doubt in Young’s ability as an author. “The Shack” was very much like a ride at six flags amusement park, and like most roller coasters, it takes the rider through phases of enjoyment – a phase of sheer exhilaration, then a phase of simply enjoying a ride, then a last minute twister that nauseates the rider.
In an interview with World Magazine's Susan Olasky, Young, who is no longer a member of a church, said "(The institutional church) doesn't work for those of us who are hurt and those of us who are damaged. . . . If God is a loving God and there's grace in this world and it doesn't work for those of us who didn't get dealt a very good hand in the deck, then why are we doing this? . . . Legalism within Christian or religious circles doesn't work very well for people who are good at it. And I wasn't very good at it."

Young’s theology is not conventional and this becomes very clear in the book. For one Jesus, appears to be the most conventional of the members of the Trinity, God the Father however appears to Mackenzie as an African-American woman called Papa – reminiscent of colonial America who seems to be an excellent cook. The third person of the Trinity who the author calls ‘Sarayu’ (a word connected with Hinduism) – is an Asian “worker class” women with some extra-ordinary abilities. William Young’s theology becomes clear – it is eclectic (drawing from Khalil Gibran, Bob Dylan, Soren Kierkegaard).

“The Shack” in its entirety leaves an after- taste of “emergent-theology.” It is doused with anti-traditional straw-man caricatures like the main character’s drunken “Bible-punching father (also see pp. 93, 107, 119 for more such examples). He never seems very clear on theological matters (p. 182); then again, which emergent proponent is? In what Young communicates and what the reader may perceive as “truth” leaves the door wide open, large enough for a big-rig to pass through. Face it – readers of Christian novels seem to have an expectation that such novels do contain biblical truth. Christian readers often expect the author’s statements to contain at least some level of theological truth woven in between pages of fantasy.

On this very basis it will make me a little hesitant to recommend it to just anyone. Young’s vague, fantasy-world-theology makes me nervous about the distortions that it may create in the minds of unsuspecting (undiscerning) readers. In fact, it may really mess-up your perception of God if you are not really discerning.

But, there are some good statements in the book, there are several really good statements e.g. regarding the law, which as Young states “is a mirror to reveal how filthy your face gets when you live independently” (202). On the other hand, his statements on page 182 about variety of religions, he leaves the door wide open for a variety of interpretations. He also makes some dubious statements that humans are “worthy of love,” – this statement is completely foreign to the pages of Scripture. Some statements may simply be communicating some falsehoods about God and his character e.g. that “there is no way he could sentence Katie, or any of his other children, to an eternity in hell just because she had sinned against him.” No – the Bible is clear that God will send people to hell even for just one sin and Young seems to leave the perception that it is not the case.

So, here is my opinion. If you are curious to read “The Shack” why not rather pick-up something like “Don’t Waste Your Life” by John Piper, or “The Cross-Centered Life” by C.J. Mahaney which will nourish your soul to a much greater degree than reading this type of fiction.

“there is no way he could sentence Katie, or any of his other children, to an eternity in hell just because she had sinned against him.” No – the Bible is clear that God will send people to hell even for just one sin and Young
seems to leave the perception that it is not the case.